Adam Hiner and Maddie Hamann, the married co-founders of Pacha, didn’t set out to start a gluten-free bread business.
But in June 2018, when Hiner wasn’t eating gluten and a friend shared a recipe for bread omitting the ingredient, he was “blown away by the simplicity” and how good he felt after eating it.
Before long, the San Diego, California-based entrepreneur was making the recipe for his friends and family, who couldn’t get enough. Then he began supplying a local restaurant with the bread. It became apparent that the product could fill a serious gap in the market.
Hamann, who’d just finished her PhD in oceanography, wanted to join the venture